Jordan Wertlieb Named President and General Manager of WBAL-TV, Baltimore

Jordan Wertlieb Named President and General Manager of WBAL-TV, Baltimore

Barbara Anderson Named General Sales Manager

NEW YORK and BALTIMORE, June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Jordan Wertlieb, General Sales Manager of WBAL-TV, Hearst-Argyle's NBC affiliate serving Baltimore, has been named the station's President and General Manager. He succeeds Bill Fine, WBAL-TV's President and General Manager since 1998, who is returning to WCVB-TV, Hearst-Argyle's Boston ABC affiliate, as General Manager.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050616/NYTH098 )

Barbara Anderson, who since 1997 has served as WBAL-TV's Local Sales Manager, has been promoted to General Sales Manager, succeeding Wertlieb in that role.

The promotions, effective August 1, were announced today by David J. Barrett, Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. president and chief executive officer.

"Jordan has been Bill Fine's partner in building WBAL-TV into an outstanding, market-leading television station, and he is more than ready to undertake the general management responsibilities at one of our most important and successful stations," Barrett said. "WBAL-TV's commitment to localism, news leadership, community service and strong financial performance will continue unabated under Jordan, and we are confident that he will take the station to even higher levels of success in the coming years.

"Barbara Anderson has held the position of Local Sales Manager of WBAL-TV for the past eight years," Barrett continued. "She is well prepared to step up to the position of General Sales Manager at WBAL-TV and build on the station's impressive sales accomplishments."

Added Fine, "Jordan Wertlieb and I have worked closely together for most of the past nine years. He is an engaged and passionate leader who truly loves and understands local television. Barbara, who has in turn worked closely with Jordan for several years, is a talented sales professional and native of Baltimore who has worked tirelessly with our clients helping to grow their business. Handing over the reins of WBAL-TV will be the smoothest transition possible, ensuring that this great television station continues as Maryland's leading news source, providing the best service possible to our viewers."

Wertlieb has worked with Hearst-Argyle Television stations since 1986. He began his career as a research analyst at Katz Communications, the broadcasting advertising sales representation firm, in New York. He became a television sales account executive at Katz in 1989, representing television stations of Hearst Broadcasting (a Hearst-Argyle predecessor company) as well as other leading station groups.

In 1993, Wertlieb joined WCVB-TV as National Sales Manager and was promoted to Local Sales Manager in 1998. In 1999, he was promoted to General Sales Manager of WBAL-TV. He is a member of the Television Bureau of Advertising's (TVB) Sales Advisory Committee, the Maryland-DC-Delaware Broadcasters Board of Directors and is a graduate of the National Association of Broadcasting's (NAB) Broadcast Leadership Training Program. He holds a BA from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Anderson began her broadcasting career at WMAR-TV in Baltimore as an account executive. In 1994, she joined WBAL-TV in that same capacity and twice received the Hearst Eagle Award for salesperson of the year. In 1997, she was promoted to Local Sales Manager of WBAL-TV. She is a member of the marketing board of the National Aquarium in Baltimore and is a past Vice President of the Advertising Association of Baltimore. Anderson holds an MBA from the University of Baltimore.

About Hearst-Argyle

Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc. owns 25 television stations, and manages an additional three television and two radio stations, in geographically diverse U.S. markets. The Company's television stations reach approximately 18% of U.S. TV households, making it one of the largest U.S. television station groups. The Company owns 10 NBC affiliates, and is the second-largest NBC affiliate owner. Hearst-Argyle also owns 12 ABC affiliated stations, and manages an additional ABC station owned by The Hearst Corporation, and is the largest ABC affiliate group. The Company also owns two CBS affiliates and a WB affiliate, and manages a UPN affiliate and an independent station.

Hearst-Argyle's stations are recognized news leaders. The station group has been honored with three consecutive Walter Cronkite Awards, presented by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, for excellence in television political journalism, and is the only group to have received the award since its inception. Hearst-Argyle stations also are the recipients of many of television's other highest awards for excellence in journalism, programming and community service, including the Peabody, the duPont-Columbia University Journalism Award, the Sigma Delta Chi Award, the Gabriel, the Ad Council Silver Bell, the National Headliner Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award and the Emmy.

Hearst-Argyle also is a leader in the convergence of local broadcast television and the Internet through its partnership with Internet Broadcasting Systems, and in the application of digital broadcast spectrum for new local informational services through its Weather Plus partnership with NBC and various NBC affiliate groups.

Hearst-Argyle is majority owned by The Hearst Corporation. Hearst-Argyle Series A Common Stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "HTV." HTV debt is rated investment grade by Moody's (Baa3), Standard & Poor's (BBB-) and Fitch (BBB-), each with a stable outlook. The company's Web address is http://www.hearstargyle.com/ .

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050616/NYTH098
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
AP PhotoExpress Network: PRN4
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Source: Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.

CONTACT: Thomas W. Campo of Hearst-Argyle Television, Inc.,
+1-212-887-6827, tcampo@hearst.com

Web site: http://www.hearstargyle.com/

-------
Profile: intent